


Family is Key

by orphan_account



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Ableism to a degree, Family, M/M, Protectiveness, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-11-28
Updated: 2011-11-28
Packaged: 2017-10-26 15:38:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/284949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which after Cuba Charles and the boys come together as a family in the light of insecurities, abandonment, and paralysis.</p><p>When Erik, faced with a problem and needing help, returns some months later - The boys, afraid that Magneto will do something to hurt Charles again, in a bout of over protectiveness react with hostility.</p><p>Based on a prompt from the kink meme that basically just asked for the X-Men being super protective of a post-beach!Charles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family is Key

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt** : So there are a lot of prompts where Erik rushes to a Charles' rescue and the whole household accepts Erik's return because they just want them to be together and for Charles to cheer the fuck up again.
> 
> However, I'd love to see something of this kind where the X Men react badly to Erik's return. They're the ones who had to pick up Charles after Erik swanned off (and left them with a paralysed Charles on a beach in the middle of a now-hostile country) and are not too appreciative of him only coming back now and presuming everything will be fine and dandy.
> 
> Some sort of show-off between Alex and Erik would be awesome (because I have a massive kink for powerful!Alex - let's face it, his mutation is one of the few that Erik can't counteract) but something from the others too (think of how pissed Hank got in the hangar and how Charles had to stop him). 
> 
> It's up to author:
> 
> \- whether Charles knows it's happening and does his best to calm everyone down, or whether he's incapacitated to some degree and can't;  
> \- why Erik decides to get back (presumably because Charles is in ~mortal danger~);  
> \- whether this abuse drives Erik away again or whether he stays.

\--  
 **Prologue.**  
\--

The return trip to the Westchester estate is a silent one.

They'd had to black out the windows of the rental van for the drive, because despite the teams casual acceptance of Hank's new, furry form, it doesn't change the fact that him being sighted by civilians was not a good idea. Perhaps one day, but not today.

So they'd painted the windows black.

Inside the vehicle is dark, dank even, and it's honestly not helping the already strained atmosphere. Alex can feel the tension as if it were tangible between his finger tips, he can hear the unasked questions, the frustrations, the accusations dancing in the silence around them, worst yet - between them.

He wonders if this is a little like being a telepath, thoughts heard like sinister whispers in the air. If it is, he does not envy the professor an iota.

Charles has not spoken a word since they'd left the hospital and the lack of his gentle voice chattering in the background is deafening in its noticeable absence.

Just over a month had passed since they'd left Cuba, since they in turn had been left. Betrayed. Abandoned.

The moment they had hit American soil they had whisked Charles away, stolen away in the night the moment opportunity had arisen and had him transferred to a hospital inside the County. Regardless of the facility being only an hour's drive of the manor, neither Hank, Sean or himself had been comfortable with leaving Charles alone with anyone who was in any shape or form adept with a scalpel (mutant or non-mutant alike) and had instead opted to stay at a near by hotel that appeared to be easily accessible to the hospital.

To Hanks disgruntlement he was forced to stay behind in the rented room, caged in by four peeling walls sporting some truly grotesque wallpaper as Sean and Alex volleyed between Charles and the hotel with periodic updates on how the latter was fairing.

The first time they leave Hank behind, for his own piece of mind Alex pretends he doesn't see the boy look forlornly at himself in the mirror as Sean closes the door behind them on their way out. It's a whole 'nother set of issues Alex can't deal with right now, in between his own emotions he has yet to deal with and the prone form of the Professor lying in a hospitable bed, weak and defenseless; Alex just can't, he just _can't_.

Three hours later when they return to the hotel, food and information in hand, the sight of a demolished room is all that is left to welcome them, the furniture all but destroyed in the wake of Hank's resentment, his insecurities magnified in light of being unable to do something so simple as to check up on a close, injured friend.

Sean and Alex couldn't find it within themselves to fault his rage despite how annoying paying for damages was going to be; they were all to familiar with anger that stemmed from uselessness. Remembered all to well the vicious shout of "Stay back!" then being flung in the air like a rag doll as the teacher whom they'd come to so dearly care for lay bleeding, possibly dying, in his aggressors arms.

They had managed to sneak Hank in after visiting hours later that very night and although Charles had been unconscious (he was during most visits), Hank had visibly calmed down just at the sight of him - let the knot of tension quiet and subside as he placed one large blur paw and rested it upon the Professor's chest, tracking the rise and fall of it.

He did not ask to visit again. They did not return to another damaged room.

\--

Sean is the only one who holds a valid license (Alex was already in jail when he became eligible and Hank had never bothered), so driving had been left to him. Moira had shown up as soon as Charles had been discharged bringing along with her a van that she'd claimed was wheelchair compliant. None of them had known how to use the controls so Alex spent 20 minutes reading the manual while Charles filled out the necessary paperwork inside with Sean.

When everything was finally in order (Alex having already procured some black paint from a nearby hardware store) Moira had even offered to drive them all back to the house.

She'd taken one look at Alex's possessive hand on Charles' shoulder, the way that Sean rearranged himself so he was mostly standing between her and them - and promptly backed off.

They know she wasn't the one who shot Charles.

But that doesn't mean she wasn't the one to pull the trigger.

\--

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Note: There will be eventual Erik/Charles, but fair warning, I'm going to be exploring the family dynamics of our four boys a helluva lot before I get there.
> 
> It's going to be an angsty, sad, fluffy ride.


End file.
